anguish

plural anguishes

1. countableuncountableExtreme pain, either of body or mind; excruciating distress; an emotional state caused by intense misery or suffering.

   It took years to overcome the anguish from my wife's death.

   5 more examples

   So, ye miserable people; you must go to God in anguishes, and make your prayer to him.

   1549, Hugh Latimer, "The Third Sermon Preached before King Edward VI

   Is there no play, To ease the anguish of a torturing hour?

   c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]

   Love of your selfe, she saide, and deare constraint, Lets me not sleepe, but wast the wearie night In secret anguish and unpittied plaint, Whiles you in carelesse sleepe are drowned quight.

   1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto LIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC

   But they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 6:9

   There, loathing Life, and yet of Death afraid, In Anguish of her Spirit, thus she pray'd.

   1700, [John] Dryden, “Cinyras and Myrrha, out of the Tenth Book of Ovid’s Metamorphosis”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC

   Synonyms: agony, calvary, cross, pang, torture, torment, agony, anguishment · Antonyms: bliss

present singular third person anguishes · participle present anguishing · participle past anguished · past anguished

1. intransitiveTo suffer pain.

   c. 1900s, Kl. Knigge, Iceland Folk Song, traditional, Harmony: H. Ruland We’re leaving these shores for our time has come, the days of our youth must now end. The hearts bitter anguish, it burns for the home that we’ll never see again.

   Synonyms: hurt, suffer, ache, agonize, hurt, pain, passion, suffer

2. transitiveTo cause to suffer pain.

   Synonyms: afflict, torment, ache, afflict, aggrieve, agonize, dere, excruciate

1. A surname.

   Edmund Anguish of Somerleighton

   1698 December 29, record from Thorington, printed in 1884 Thomas Smythe Hill, The registers of the parish of Thorington, page 56

   2 more examples

   By request, Mr. Anguish, who is an expert on comb honey, was asked to give some points on its production: Mr. Anguish uses a divisible brood chamber. […]

   1907, Canadian Bee Journal, volumes 15-16, page 70

   On motion of Mr. Anguish, the House concurred in the Senate amendments to House Bill No. 115 by the following vote: Those voting yea were: Representatives Adams (Wm. H.), Adamson, Allen, Anderson (W. M.), Anguish, Aspinwall, Atkinson […]

   1919, House Journal of the Legislature of the State of Washington, page 548

2. rareA male given name.

   1 more example

   […] been ready and willing to take one of the children by her husband, not being the eldest, to live with her; and that she did afterwards fix upon one of such children, named Anguish, and did request her husband to permit the said child to reside and live with her, […] and the defendant futher pleaded, that the said Anguish, the said child in the said declaration mentioned was not born at the time of the sealing and delivering of the said indenture, but long afterwards.

   1819, “Durant v Titley”, in Francis Joseph Troubat, George Price, editors, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Court of Exchequer, published 1835, page 231